Hope Filled Living

Choosing Hope and Cultivating an Inspired Life with Author, Mary Clewley

10 Important Things About Your Purpose

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10 Important Things About Your Purpose

1. As Mother Teresa so aptly put it, “we can do no great things, only small things with great love.” We were each created with different and unique abilities and capabilities. There is purpose in doing those things we do well with great love.

2. Some of us are born with quieter dispositions and happily do things behind the scenes, while others have a greater understanding of leadership at the front and center. Neither of the two personality types is right or wrong. “For we have many parts in one body, but these parts do not all have the same function.” Romans 12:4 We are all created for a different function.

3. Regardless of our physical, intellectual, emotional or socioeconomic standing, each of us is equal to the other in the eyes of God. It does not matter if we are a movie star or a homeless man—the eyes of God see purpose in each of us.

 

4. Growth means evolving, changing and moving in new directions. Our purpose may change during our lifetime. God put us on the earth to be the best we can be and our purpose must be flexible enough to hear and obey whatever it is he is asking us to do now.

5. When we are still and focus on the beauty of the everyday moments in our lives and give thanks we are more likely to find purpose, rather than searching for it and becoming discontented. The discontented places in our hearts are not from lack of purpose, but rather a lack of understanding that we are truly loved just as we are.

6. Your purpose correlates with what you hold dear in your heart. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” Luke 6:45. Of what things do you speak?  It is normal to feel lost, lonely, isolated and confused from time to time.


7. Spiritual health helps us gain a sense of acceptance, both inward and outward and will supply us with the resource of inner peace and an understanding that God doesn’t judge us by performance, He looks at our heart.  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.”Luke 10:27

8.  When we put God first and give him everything that we are, he will show us our purpose. Understand that your purpose may change….it is not a life sentence.

9. Being purpose driven may cause a sense of shame, guilt and rejection if the great light bulb doesn’t light up and show you what you have been created for, when in reality, the bible tells us, “you were created for such a time as this” Esther 4:14, meaning that each day holds purpose. Our purpose is driven by our daily choices.

10. It is healthy to aspire to do great things, but important to be happy with yourself just as you are and know that you are loved and valued and don’t have to be anyone other than who you are to be acceptable in the eyes of God.

 

 

Don’t Settle For Less

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God created each of us for greatness. When we settle for less, we are essentially saying that we are not worthy of more. Sometimes we get used to the way things are and grow complacent. In some small way, bit by bit, we grow accustomed to not getting what we need, not reaching goals, learning to accept less than what we know in our hearts is the life we long to live, the way we long to live it. The danger of complacency is that while we are in the midst of it, we may not even realize that our lives are deficient in many ways, particularly in the area of faith.

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Sometimes the circumstances of life bring us down, make us hang our heads in shame, sadness, grief and apathy. Events in our lives make us feel like we have no more fight within us, and even if we had just a little bit left, what’s it all for anyway?

Jesus says, in John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Each morning when you swing your feet off the side of your bed and step onto the floor to begin your day, you have exhibited faith: the faith to keep going, faith to strive for more, faith to accomplish what you need to during the day.

If God tells us that He has come that we might have life and have it more abundantly, then who are we to settle for less than everything he wants for us in our lives, to nullify the gifts and the Spirit within us? Perhaps the greatest depravity of the human spirit is to settle. When we settle something inside of us dies, but a living faith – a faith that is alive – even from the smallest kindling in our hearts, will encourage us to yell at those mountains to get out of our way, to walk through fire and come out OK on the other side.

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When you think you are surrounded on all sides and have no way out, that the circumstances of your life are more than you can deal with and you are tempted to lose your faith, tempted to settle for less than you are worth—remember the parable of Daniel in the lions’ den:

“So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
Daniel answered, “May the king live forever!My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”  Daniel 6: 16-21 (NIV)

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God spared Daniel, just as he wants to spare you. Why? Because YOU ARE WORTHY.
When we practice the discipline of faith, we begin to believe in our hearts and minds that although circumstances may not look the way we want them to look, even though events may not work out as we have planned, we will not be defeated.
Don’t Settle For Less! You Were Created For Greatness!
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When we refuse to settle, God will bring dead things to life, shelter us from the storms of insecurity and fear and move heaven and earth to create clear paths for us. If the King of Kings planted a seed inside of you – gave you a dream, something to hope for – it seems that he would want it to grow rather than wither. So, dust off your feet, move on out of the mire, walk right out of that valley, tell the mountain to be moved, kick off the bondage of complacency and let the seeds of faith, hope and love grow deep roots from within. Extend yourself outward like the branches of a strong, healthy oak tree, bringing life and shelter to the weak, shade from the scorching sun, and a resting place for God’s creatures.

 

Nuggets for Inspired Living

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nuggets

 

Life is a gift. Honor it.
Give thanks for something everyday.
Find joy in small moments.
You can utter the name of God whenever you need him and he will hear you.
Listen to your body.
Eat for health.
Exercise everyday.
Know that God is all around you.
Take care of your teeth.
Get yearly blood work and exams.
Focus on the positive.
Be yourself~ Imperfections and all.
When things get tough, know that you can get through this.

You can do hard things.♡
Your time here is short, but eternity is forever.
Put away a little each week ,consistently to build a nest egg.
God loves good stewards of their money, health, elationships, and gifts.
There is no situation that is hopeless.
Never stop reading or growing, intellectually.
challenge yourself
Be kind, even when you don’t feel like it.
When you make a choice, choose hope.
Believe in healing.
Smile a little each day.
Live within your means.

Pray

Ask others to pray for you.
Give to something you believe in.
Take Walks
Make sure to touch and be touched.
Enjoy your books so much that you write in the margins.
Embrace the changing seasons.
Take a walk in the rain.
Every now and then …do a cannonball!
Cultivate laughter in your life.
Do what you need to do to be well.
You can’t change people, you can only change yourself.
Dig in the dirt. Plant something every spring.

Pay it Forward

Comfort others who are grieving.
Give without expecting to receive.
Wrap your Christmas presents with fun wrap.
Keep Christ in Christmas.
Read A Christmas Carol aloud each year.
Establish traditions…they give you roots.
You have something to offer the world.
Don’t accept defeat.

When your plans don’t work out, think of another way to accomplish them.
Timing is everything.
Think of someone who inspires you when you see a butterfly. They were once a chrysalis too.
God will never leave you nor forsake you.
Hold hands.
Listen.
Accept differences.
Learn a new language.
Light a candle. Put it in a special place. Remember loved ones this way.
Do your dishes before you go to bed.
Hang a cross somewhere in your house.
tell people
Recognize the goodness in others.
Try new things.
Recognize that your words have powerful influence. Use them wisely.
God answers prayers, big and small.
God will close many doors in your lifetime, however, he will open many windows.
Know your strengths.
Be gentle with yourself.
Find something you love to do and feel passionate about and do it.
Be a safe person and allow others to be who they are.

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